METHOD AND DEVICE FOR HOMOGENIZING A FIBROUS, VISCOUS FOOD MASS

Abstract

A method and system for homogenizing a fibrous, viscous food mass 1, in particular pasta filata, such as mozzarella, for example, wherein a feed quantity of the food mass 1 is initially fed continuously to a homogenizing device comprising a container, wherein in a subsequent step the food mass 1 exiting an outlet gap of the container is fed to a shaping and/or cooling device disposed underneath the container, wherein the shaping and/or cooling device forms a filling gap between two rollers, each of which, in particular, is equipped with a belt, and shapes the food mass 1 into a food strip, wherein the outlet gap of the container is oriented at least substantially parallel to the filling gap, wherein the opening width of the outlet gap 5 and/or the feed quantity are set such that the food mass located in the container can settle for the purpose of homogenization, wherein the fibers of the food mass entering the filling gap are aligned substantially in the processing direction.

Claims

1. A cheese product comprising a plurality of uniformly aligned fibers, wherein the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers are impressed in the cheese product by forming a molten cheese mass containing the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers into a cheese strip, wherein the cheese strip is cooled to retain a uniform alignment of the uniformly aligned fibers in the cheese product.

2. The cheese product of claim 1, wherein the molten cheese mass is formed into the cheese strip by passing the molten cheese mass between a pair of oppositely-driven rollers or a pair of belts, wherein a thickness of the cheese strip is defined by a gap formed between the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts.

3. The cheese product of claim 1, wherein the cheese product is a plurality of cheese cubes.

4. The cheese product of claim 3, wherein the cheese cubes have smooth surfaces.

5. The cheese product of claim 3, wherein the cheese cubes have clean cut edges.

6. The cheese product of claim 1, wherein the cheese product comprises a pasta filata cheese.

7. The cheese product of claim 5, wherein the pasta filata cheese comprises mozzarella cheese.

8. The cheese product of claim 1, wherein the cheese product is formed by cutting the cheese strip transversely across the uniformly aligned fibers.

9. The cheese product of claim 2, wherein the molten cheese mass that is introduced to the gap between the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts is homogeneous and has an aligned fiberous structure.

10. The cheese product of claim 2, wherein the cheese strip is cooled on both sides that contact the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts.

11. The cheese product of claim 1, wherein the uniformly aligned fibers are aligned in a processing direction of the cheese strip.

12. A method of forming a cheese product, the method comprising: homogenizing a molten cheese mass to align a plurality of fibers in the cheese mass into a substantially uniform direction; supplying the molten cheese mass to a gap formed by a pair of oppositely-driven rollers or a pair of belts, wherein the pair of oppositely driven rollers or the pair of belts impress the molten cheese mass into a cheese strip containing the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers; cooling the cheese strip between the pair of oppositely driven rollers or the pair of belts to retain a uniform alignment of the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers in the cheese strip; and forming the cheese strip into the cheese product.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the molten cheese mass passes through an outlet gap into the gap between the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the outlet gap has an adjustable opening width and thickness that sets a width and thickness of the molten cheese mass introduced into the gap between the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the forming of the cheese strip comprises cutting the cheese strip in a transverse direction to the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the forming of the cheese strip comprises cutting the cheese strip in a direction along the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the cheese product comprises cheese cubes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the cheese cubes have smooth surfaces and clean cut edges.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the cheese product comprises a pasta filata cheese.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the pasta filata cheese comprises mozzarella cheese.

21. A system to form a cheese product, the system comprising: a homogenizing device that supplies a molten cheese mass having a plurality of uniformly aligned fibers, wherein the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers are aligned in substantially the same direction; a pair of oppositely-driven rollers or a pair of belts that form a gap between the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts, wherein the gap receives the molten cheese mass from the homogenizing device and forms the molten cheese mass into a cheese strip impressed with the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers; a cooling system operable to cool the cheese strip as it makes contact with the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts; and a cutting element that cuts the cheese strip into the cheese product.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the homogenization device comprises an outlet gap through which the molten cheese mass passes to reach the gap formed between the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts, and wherein the outlet gap has an adjustable width and thickness.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the cooling system cools the cheese strip on both sides of the cheese strip in contact with the pair of oppositely-driven rollers or the pair of belts.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the cutting element cuts the cheese strip transversely to the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the cutting element cuts the cheese strip along the plurality of uniformly aligned fibers.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the system comprises the pair of oppositely-driven rollers.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the system comprises the pair of belts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic illustration of a system for processing a viscous food mass according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] An embodiment of the invention is described in the following by reference to the FIGURE. The FIGURE shows a sectional detail view of a homogenization container 2 filled with a pasta filata mass 1. The volume of the homogenization container 2 is designed for a system having a cheese-mass throughput rate of approximately 1800 kg/h. To enable production to be buffered for 5 minutes, the container should therefore have a capacity of 150 kg. The homogenization container 2 shown here has a gross volume of 250 l and is adequately sized.

[0028] The walls 3 of the homogenization container 2 are made of plastic and are reinforced by steel girders 4. This prevents the homogenization container 2 from deforming in the filled state. The homogenization container 2 has a rectangular cross section, which tapers in the lower region relative to an axis. To this end, the relevant walls 3 converge downwardly, wherein the two walls have different angles of inclination relative to the perpendicular.

[0029] The homogenization container 2, which therefore tapers in the shape of a funnel relative to an axis, leads into a substantially horizontally oriented outlet gap 5, which is closed by a sliding element 6. The pasta filata mass 1 “stands” on the outlet gap 5 and is prevented from exiting only via the sliding element 6, which is movably mounted at the outlet gap 5. The sliding element 6 is connected to a steplessly controllable drive 7, which moves the sliding element 6 horizontally along the outlet gap 5. An outwardly lying girder 8 reinforces the sliding element 6. The torsional stiffness of the sliding element 6 achieved in this manner ensures that the gap width at the outlet gap 5 is set exactly even when the homogenization container 2 is completely filled.

[0030] The homogenization container 2 is held in a frame 9, which rests on weighing elements 10. The sensors of the weighing elements 10 detect the weight of the homogenization container 2 and transmit this to a feedback control unit, which is not shown here.

[0031] The outlet gap 5 of the homogenization container 2 defines the width of the product strip and is directed toward an inlet gap 13 formed between two rollers 11 and 12. The rollers 11 and 12 are driven in opposite directions, in arrow directions 14, 15, and therefore the pasta filata mass fed into the inlet gap 13 is captured by the rotating rollers 11 and 12 and is guided into the roller gap 16, where it is shaped into a strand. The body width of the rollers 11 and 12 and the width of the outlet opening 5 are coordinated with one another, thereby ensuring that the pasta filata strand exiting the outlet opening 5 is fed into the inlet gap 13 across the entire body width. The roller gap 16 has a width of 1100 mm in the embodiment shown. The gap width at the outlet opening 5, which is set via the sliding element 6, determines the thickness of the emerging pasta filata strip.

[0032] A sensor 17, which measures the fill level of the pasta filata mass that is introduced, is dedicated to the feed hopper 13. The sensor 17 is connected to the feedback control unit and transmits the detected parameters thereto. The parameters that are determined and transmitted by the weighing elements 10 and the fill-level sensor 17 are evaluated in the feedback control unit. On the basis thereof, the feedback control unit calculates control signals and sends the control signals to a control unit, which is connected to the drive 7 and is also not shown. The drive 7 moves the sliding element 6 along the outlet opening and sets the desired gap width of the outlet gap.

[0033] The mass exits the roller gap 16 as a shaped strip 18, which has a defined fibrous structure and is fed to the further processing, in particular longitudinal cutting and subsequent transverse cutting for the purpose of creating cubes or sticks.